Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-02-06
COVERINGS OF FLOORS.
CARPETS GRADUALLY BEING
DRIVEN OUT BY RUGS.

III mOtHS ana ine w ear ana
Tear of Sweeping AIDING in Working
the ChanGe-SOme Pointers About the
Use OF the Broom.
NEW YORK, Feb. g. To begin at the be-
ginning, it should always be remembered
IN furnishing room that sweeping will
be frequent, if not a daily, necessity.
This necessity, together with the inva.
sion OF the buffalo moth, is gradually
! bringing in the fashion of thick rugs or
carpets, covering only the centres of
/ polished floors. There are many reasons
why this style Of floor covering should be
| adopted, but we are at present concerned
/ only with the most obvious one. There is
no more prolific source of dirt, no more
/ unwholesOme. uncleauable article In the
/ whole house than a thick carpet tightly
nailed to the floor and reaching to the
/ very mopboard. | i most families carpet
does duty just as long as 1t can be made
! decent by careful darning and turning
about. 1t is probably safe to say that the
/ average life ola carpet is six years, while
/ many of them do good service for twice
: mat length OF time What an accumu-
/ Iatlon of Nth; what repository of vile
/ 0dors; what a breeder OF disease must it
| become with any but the very best OF
/ care! II this were the only reason why
it should be discarded, one would think it
must quickly go. But conservatism Is as
! strong IN house furnishing as III politics
or religion, and the carpet is destined to
hold sway for long time to come. II we
must have carpets, then, let Us choose
them wisely and care tor them inIeili-
gently.
fine advice SO often given to buy only
the best things because they are cheapest
IN thn an I'D To-
! regard to carpets. BY all means buy the
| best and handsomest if you can afford to
replace them often enough so that you
/ may always have a comparatively clean
carpet. II expense is a very important
consideration, choose q good, firm ingram
or other servceable carpet OF moderate
cost. 1t Will wear as long as 1t ought 10
be used, and then it can be replaced by
clean one.
Sweeping is very laboriOuS task, and
when properly performed should not need
to be repeated until some DAYS have
elapsed. Hence it is important TO choose
carpet which will not show every shred
or bit OF dust. Avoid dark cOlors and
plain blocks or spaces OF any one color.
SOFT, suodued tints and mixed patterns
give most satisfaction. john Burroughs
speaking OF tne pine forest, says: Let
the designers come here and get the true
'
brown, with only a red leaf or a bit of
gray moss or duskv lichen scattered
here and there--a background that does
not weary or beWilder The eve or insult
the grouI blowing fOotv just such
carpet as that would delight the heart
of the housewife. II, in the endless round
of household duties. sweeping dav must
be postponed, such carpet would tell no
tales.
AS in a great many other tasks, the
getting ready is the worst part of sweep
Ing. The sweeper should incase herself
from head to ZOOS in calico. which is none
the worse for good busting, since a vigor-
Gus shake Will remove al traces of II.
The first thing to do is TO take ali Orna-
ments and articles OF hric-a-brac out of
the room after carefully dusting them
with soft cloth. then brush ANA fold every
table spread, mantel scarf and removable
cit of drapery which the room contains.
shake the curtains and protect them as
best you may from the dust. Dust and
remove such articles of furniture as are
not too heavy, so that you may have
clear field. Cover all remaining articles
with cloths and then you are ready TO
begin. 1t is safe TO call in Bridget at this
stag of affairs if you choose, but do not
leave her to her own devices,O or your care.
ful preparations will be followed up by
only Indifferent sweeping. Provided with
a good flexible broom. she sbou 4 Begin at
the Velv edge OF the room, 90 carefully all
around 1t. moving the broom with vigOr-
Gus sweeps parallel with the walls and
close to them. This Will slOdge the
dust that has settled between the carpet
and mopboard, and prove something Of a
disbursement to the carpet moth as
we'll; though we cannot hope 10 evict
him, when once comfortably settled by
any such gentle means; a brush. broom
or VIM may be needed To supplement the
broom IN the corners. When the sweeper
has thus made the circuit at the room
she may go all around it agaiu, this time
sweeping toward the centre, and so she
NAV proceed, in ever lessentng circles
until the dust and dirt are gathered II
heap in the middle of the floor. After the
pile is carefully removed aud the place
which il occupied brushed until it luoks
as fresh as the rest OF the carpet, the
windows NAV be opened and the operator
sit down to rest.
THIS. in some houses. would be consd-
cred a carefully swept floor, but the mis-
tress who mas taken the pains to yet her
room ready as it should be got ready
hesitates TO return the furniture until tne
dust is removed from the CARPET,
Well she knows that in that case she NAV
put her sweeping DAYS twice or three
times as far apart as if the work were
caTeiessly done, Then, when the dust is
settled, take the carpet sweeper-an arti-
Gle which should he in every house-and
90 carefully over the whole room, hrst in
one direction aud then at right angles to
it. Any one WHO has never tried it will
Oe surprised at the quantity Of fine dust
thus removed. ltneeds only a slighte X-
animation OF the contents of the sweeper
to explain why IN so many rooms busting
is constant necessity.
To finish the work as it has been begun,
let Bridget take pail OF water into which
a spongetul of ammonia has been put
and go over the. whole carpet on her
knees, wrnging her cloth dry and rub.
bling vigorously. 1t is hard work but it
pays.
When the carpet is clean, carefully re-
move the cloths from the pictures and
furniture and shake them out of doors.
Dust with 2 soft cloth. wiplng the dust
VI, and folding it into the cloth, which
must be shaken often. Never make the
mistake oil using feather duster or any
other contriyance, which merely wi isks
the dust of one article to settle upon an.
other. 1t IS good plan to follow up the
busting by a vigorous rubbing OF TIE
furniture with soft flannel cloth upon
which a few drops OF oil or furniture
polish have been put II there Is
stove in the room rub il with flannel